Campaign Five: The Merchant Class
]] Session 1: Autumn-38 a.s.r. The Merchants of BL° began their workday under considerable stress. The Scientarian Parliament was attempting to outlaw the Elven Fire Herb. The directors of the company made their plans to influence key members of pariament. After discussing at length with their intelligence agent Klaus Fuchs (also known as Geeves), getting information from the Daily Spice, and talking to their lobbyist Otto Van Meertens, they began to arrange meetings with the MPs most likely to be swayed. Before any meetings could commence, the Orc gang leader Jock tried to convince Donatello DeCorvo that they could continue to sell their drug through his illicit organization. Also, the strange happenings surrounding a strangely militant and controlling new pontiff of the Cayden Cailean church. To combat the muscling into their territory, the head of alcohol production for BL° Maffeo Greenbark asked for more advertisements for their product, as well as more security for their facilities. The directors also ordered the begining of a Research and Development division to be created that would combine the efforts of both drug and alcohol production, trying to make a perfect combination of the two. The plan also involved creating a version of the drug that had no magic, and another that was highly magical for sale to Daluxians if such a prospect ever came up. One thing that was mainly glossed over due to its obvious inconsequence to the world at large, was that there were reports of meteors coming down at several parts of the empire lately. Also, as the directors left their HQ, Unitarian preachers accosted them trying to get them to join the Unitarian church, and screaming out about how THE ONE will soon subsume the universe. Over the week prior to the votes on their herb, the directors spoke to Alatariel Jade, head of the elven coalition in the house of commons. She was heavily against the drug due to how it was so addictive to elves who used it, but she was eventually bought off by a hefty sum of gold, and some of the company's highest quality alcohol. Thus securing the vote in the house of commons, which made sure that their drug would stay legal, they subsequently spoke to the remembrancers Zeitoun Vespucci and Heather Galiani. Zeitoun was easily convinced, only needing some gold for the political campaign to get his son, Fahd Vespucci, into the house of commons.While meeting with Heather Galiani, it was revealed that she was in a relationship with Hayate Ryu, the son of the richest man on Gernon, Kenji Ryu. She took some savvy convincing, but after telling her about the new R&D department working to make less magical, safer drugs, she got on board. Thus, all 5 remembrancers agreed to keep the government from taxing their products within Sephora. The final man that needed convincing was the lord of reyken Timothy Letta, the only member of the house of lords powerful enough and not under Adele's influence that could be swayed by the directors. The directors instantly took a liking to the fast talking, charismatic lord. He made the simple offer, "I'll help you today, but if the day comes, and that day may never come but if it does, I expect you to help me out." With this final piece of the puzzle put together, it seemed like BL° was poised to be skyrocketing to success. The bills were either struck down or passed, but all were to the advantage of the directors business interests. They rode out the rest of the economic quarter safely, but barely keeping ahead of the agressive work of the Cayden Cailean church taking away their business. They made it to the end of the quarter barely breaking even due to all their bribing, but they had more than enough money to move ahead with their new business interests. As they approached the end of Autumn, they were called out to their farm producing the fire herb by the head of their drug production Marcus Paul. They were brought there to make the executive decisions regarding a theif that was taken prisoner after he was caught trying to steal some of the R&D's new products. While walking towards the central building, a meteor-like object was seen barreling out of the sky directly for the farm. The directors ran away from the impending impact site, barely making their way far enough to not be injured. Looking into the crater, it appeared that there was a woman clad in full plate armor at the bottom. Session 2: Winter-38 a.s.r After successfully keeping their product legal, the directors were presented with a meteor-like object barrelling directly for them. After avoiding its impact, the directors found out that the meteor was actually the goddess Iomedae. She told them how many of the gods were being forcibly yanked out of heaven, and that they were being given mortal bodies. She was given a large amount of food to sustain her, and the chance to rest at Don's home. Later that evening she left the house to go seek out her faithful. Going back into the R&D building, they went in with the intent to torture the obviously Ryu Spice hired spy, when 3 ninja spies burst in through the buildings windows. They quickly tried to kill the captured employee and steal the new products, but one was killed, one captured, and one escaped with the experimental lightning drug. The next several weeks were involved with the legal case involving the break-in and theft. After making a pact with the first failed thief to give evidence against Ryu Spice in exchange for BL°'s protection, and hiring Yitzhak Skazmuppet as their lawyer, enough data was garnered to find the thieves and Ryu Spice guilty of the crime. Ryu Spice thereafter would have a vendetta against BL°. On Tellumnar day, the directors spent some much needed time relaxing in Reyken with Timothy Letta. There, they met a bum asking for alcohol, who said he wouldn't forget the kindness. Several months later, the royal wedding of Adele Tellumnar and Leopold Dedalus took place at the Imperial Palace. Several assassination attempts ensued, including a woman with a poisoned needle hidden within her and soliciting the directors for sex, and poisoned alcoholic beverages. Over the evening, Don made an effort to become friends with Leopold, and Vincent got on good terms with Abraham Darien. Several times over the night Giovanni Mariovanni annoyed Kenji Ryu, directly insulting his Vanaran wife and calling him many slurs about this relationship. He was later poisoned by one of Kenji's assassins, but he was so drunk that he quickly vomited all the poison out, directly onto Kenji. Kenji was so enraged that he pulled off his fake finger revealing a hidden knife, and tried to kill Giovanni. Adele's quick eyes and hands were too much for the older man, and she quickly shot off his head before he could commit murder in the middle of her wedding. Kenji's wife summarily stabbed out his testicles with a hidden blade in her stilleto heels. The Dalux ambassador Salim noticed Giovanni's behavior over the evening and took a liking to his bravado, saying they may be able to do business. Session 3: Spring- 39 a.s.r. Dealing with the aftermath of the death of Kenji Ryu, the directors of BL° were at the bedside of Giovanni at the hospital. Ends with leaving for dalux Session 4: Summer- 39 a.s.r Going to Dalux Ends with god falling on Dalux Session 5: Autumn- 39 a.s.r. The directors of BL°, after gaining their immense amount of gold, saw the descent of another god. It was stopped from destroying the city by the massive protective magical net that covers the city. The directors quickly made their way back to their ships, and within two days were called back to the city to talk to the Sultan. It turns out that the god that fell on the city was the god Menthus, and he has quickly set himself up as co-ruler of the city. The city was in an uproar of joy over the presence of their god in the city. The sultan made the directors an offer about the incredibly delicious fire ale, a product that he has come to love from the few his men were able to buy. For 10,000 barrels a year, the directors would receive 15,000 apu of gold. They debated for some time on this offer, but eventually capitulated. Over the next week, the nobles of Dalux partied with the directors, all sampling from the Fire Ale that was being sent around town. One night, Iomedae and Abadar approached the directors again. They told them they had discovered that Sarenrae had been taken hostage by the Daluxian government, and was being used to siphon her magical energy to create an army of Golems. They created a plan to rescue her, but in order to release her and revitalize her they needed to sacrifice three highly powerful magical objects. They asked to take the Dragon's Heart from the directors, and they told them they were also planning to sacrifice Iomedae's Flame Sword, and Abadar's golden armor. They said the spell would release her in one week, and that it would be good for them to leave by then. The next day, the Sultan called the director's back, and took them on a hunt in the savannah. There the directors assisted in the killing of a nobel White Lion and a Violet Giraffe. While on the hunt, Menthus asked the directors all they knew about the Test of the Starstone. After learning how to get there, the Sultan commanded them to take them to Skarlsboro on their steam ships along the Cannibal Coast as quickly as possible. The directors first sent 3 of their ships plus the Scientarian battleship back to Sephora with much of the profits this expedition raised. Upon their arrival in the northern coastal town of Jalkuth, they quickly made their way to Skarlsboro. The Sultan then gave them their 3000 apu for getting him to Skarlsboro Soon, news of the Oyashiman-Scientarian War finally got to their ears. The principal details involved the taking over of Sephora by Oyashimans, the involvement of Calistria, Norgorbor, and Cayden Cailean on the side of the Scientarians, and the death of Irori. It was also made clear that Adele Tellumnar had entered the Test one month previously, and the entire city was waiting impatiently to see if she would come out. The goddess Calistria was stationed there as her bodyguard. The Sultan, his retinue, and the directors were allowed into the grand hall of the Test, walking down the endless staircase, into the grand hall containing 100 foot tall statues of all the known gods, even the evil ones, and hundreds of priests of all races praying and studying the newly revealed cavern. At the end of the mile long hall, sat the non-euclidian gateway itself. On each side of the gateway were 100 foot tall gongs, with two 100 foot statues holding hammers on each side. After 3 hours of chanting and sacred rites, the emisarries from Dalux were given the right to enter the gateway, and have not been heard from since. Interested in waiting to see if Adele would come back. 2 days after arrival, coincidentally on Victory Day of the Scientarian Calendar and the begining of year 66 a.s.r.,the entire city was rocked with an incredibly powerful earthquake. The priests were calling out that the gateway was shimmering in a golden light, and the statues had come to life and begun striking the gongs. Thousands pushed and shoved to be admitted into the grand hall, but the directors of BL° managed to get a front of the hall view. From the shimmering, spinning gateway stepped forward the new goddess Adele. In all living beings across Gernon, the thought "The new Goddess Adele is sanctified on this day. From this day forth, she shall be the one true force of Knowledge, Science, and Technology across all space and Time." was magically transmitted to their minds. She had thus taken on the purview of the recently dead Irori, and made the transfer of the world from the old focus on Philosophy and Wisdom to the new world of technological advancement and knowledge of the physical world. Adele's new godly form gave out sparks of electrical static, had electrical bolts moving throughout the blood veins in her arms, and her hair became long and silver. She also had glowing blue eyes, and was even more beautiful than before. She made her proclamation that she would now go to reclaim her empire, and right the wrongs that had been dealt to her people. Session 6: Winter- 39 a.s.r. The directors rented a train car on the Scientarian train and headed back to Sephora. The ship with money that they sent around Oyashima the long way deserted and turned into pirates. Adele won the Oyashiman-Scientarian War for the Scientarian Empire Giovanni and Vincent assassinated Don and Mercucio to secure more of their power within the company. The God of Ships Peladen came from The Zundietan Isles.Category:Campaigns